Wheel help

For the last couple of years I've happily been bashing a set of Planet X Model B wheels and now fancy a fresh set within £350. Planet X claim that the model b's weigh approx 1600gms. I've looked at carbon rims (Planet X 50mm) at £450-£500 and noticed that they are heavier.I've also looked at deep section alloy rims (Kinetic K1 and K2), which too seem to be heavier.

1. Is the advantage of carbon rims worth the extra weight?
2. Are deep section rims worth the extra weight?
3. Any other reccommendations for clinchers?

Cheers Steve

18 comments

Sort by

ilovemytinbred[161 posts]4 years ago

0 likes

It sounds like you are after wheels for just riding around, club runs etc?

If that is the case and it is your every day bike I would get nice handbuilt wheels. Ask your local wheelbuilder for some advice on hubs, spokes and rims to meet your needs. They are often better value, and fixing them is cheaper and easier than factory built wheels. They can also ride v nicely!

If you are going to do tts a lot, deep rims are worth it. But in my experience the tiny increase in speed does nothing for your ride enjoyment on normal rides.

I dont think carbon is heavier it is just a preferable material for deeper funny shaped wheels. Look at light weight climbing carbon wheels- silly light!

The last important consideration is that deep wheels look pretty cool. I buy all my stuff for my summer bike based mainly on this criteria. Honestly most of us buy some stuff for this reason, as long as you can afford it I reckon it is worth the weight penalty

Have exactly the same dilema. The aero vs lightweight wheels debate comes up quite a bit and the people have different opinions, the difference seems small though.

My issue and decding fact is that there are a lot of mountains round here so the aero wheels won't really help as the speeds are low, however they are heavier.

I was looking at some shimano rs80 (24mm) which are about 1500g compared with the 1700g planet x clinchers. I was going to get some of those for the 200g weight saving as opposed to the 2mph extra that aero wheels seem to offer.

The model b wheelset is pretty light though and seems ok but the shimano rs80 looks better and are a tad lighter (100g vs the model b)

I forgot that piece of info. Type of riding is best described as general 20-100mile, a few sportives, nothing silly serious hence the rather low price.

Having recently completed the Paris-Roubaix Challange on 20/24 spokes, (FSA front and Planet X rear) don't see the need for full 32 spoke wheels. However, I did struggle against the wind and someone suggested more aero rims. There again my favourite rides seem to head up more than flat.

Pop into your lbs and take a look at the shimano rs80-c24s, they are lovely, just at home waiting for mine to arrive. Lighter wheels make the up easier, which leaves you fresher for pushing it on the flat is my thinking. I've changed tyres too and combined they'll drop the weight by 700g compared to my RS10s. I read a lot about different sorts of wheels and decided on these, as I'm fairly light, 70kgs, if you are a bit heavier, then the fulcrum 3s might be a better bet.

Interesting thread - I've got much the same question, with the added 'advantage' that my current wheelset (including tyres/tubes) is actually just over 3kg(!) according to the kitchen scales (shh don't tell the missus I did that...) so I reckon anything around the 1.6kg mark is going to feel rather different!

1600 grams is as light as you can get for a clincher without paying at least double £350.

I would definitely not go for heavier deep section, unless you are doing flat ironman courses where you spin up and keep the speed.

I eventually went with planet X and got the more expensive R50 (1300 grams) , but you can get their slightly heavier tubular aeros, still lighter than present wheels for £399

are they worth it? well, above 30km/h they are very noticeable indeed, however with cross winds they are like sails to the wind as well, so I only use them for a bit of pre triathlon training and race day

if you are willing to go tubular, then the planet-x carbons at 1200grams will give you acceleration you will not believe, and with some sealant should not puncture.

I have been running Hutchison fusion and intensive tubeless now for years, never punctured, never pinch flatted, the grip is amazing and are like having 1cm of suspension compared to tubed clinchers (I run 90 psi front, 100 psi back for speed, 10 less for long rides, vs. about 30psi more on tubed clinchers)

Another vote for the RS80s here. I've had them since the end of february, only done about 400km on them so far but I'm loving them! The biggest difference I find is on long steady climbs (3-5% for a couple of miles). So much easier than my old wheels!!

They seem to be pretty tough so far too (touch wood). I'm not a small guy (6'4" and hovering arround 80kg) and they've handled some pretty bad roads with no problems so far

my rs80s arrived and I put the conti GP 4000s tyres on them, very easy indeed, so that's another vote for them. The GP4000 tyres feel lovely too. Now to find time to wash the mud from the rapha hell of the north off my caad10, swap wheels over and get out on them...

RS80's all the way! You will notice the increased stifness, and lower weight all the time, as opposed to only noticing the aero benefits on the flats.

I am also on the market for some RS80's, as has already been said, you'd be hard pushed to find a bad review about them, and you'd struggle to get a pair of aero wheels at the same weight, without spending considerably more!

Lots of tyre changes? Got to be very careful with carbon rims and tyre levers. Alu option is American Classic 420 Aero at 1550g or American Classic 350 Sprint at 1410g. Bombproof and bearing are super - especially if you find a ceramic set. They are cheap too!

I was looking at some of those ultegra wheels but am a bit put off by the price of spares - £90 for a rim? £4 for a spoke?

I'm curious - what would the people who own these types of wheels plan to do once the rim wears out? Replace it or bin the whole wheel? It hardly seems worth the cost once you factor the cost of the build in.

Lots of tyre changes? Got to be very careful with carbon rims and tyre levers. Alu option is American Classic 420 Aero at 1550g or American Classic 350 Sprint at 1410g. Bombproof and bearing are super - especially if you find a ceramic set. They are cheap too!

Yeah, it's a habit I picked years ago when mtbing. Mud tryes, gravel tyres, loose tyres, hardpack...... Why I couldn't stick a pair on and leave I don't know. I don't have the confidence in my slicks to go out on wet roads, so change for Spesh Roubaixs or what I perceive as an intermediate. But that's for another thread, another day.

Oh, they do look nice and are lighter than what I've got. Slightly out of the original price range but look good value.